Aug 8, 2011

I am SO excited to share this Skinny Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe with all of you!! I didn't think it possible to make a low-fat chocolate chip cookie that was soft and chewy in the center with just the right amount of crunch on the edges, and made with half whole wheat flour and only two tablespoons of butter in the entire batch!

Trust me, I've tried many recipes and the results were just ok, some were cake-y which I don't particularly care for in a cookie, and sometimes too crispy. These cookies are chewy, soft, sweet perfection! I even gave them to a group of unsuspecting teenagers who had no idea they were skinny and they LOVED them. But I must warn you, it's hard to stop at just one, so make sure you have the will power to stop at two cookies, or friends to share these with.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line two cookie sheets with non-stick silicone baking liners such as Silpats (I highly recommend for best results) or lightlyspray cookie sheets with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt and stir to blend. In another bowl, whisk the sugars, butter, egg white, applesauce and vanilla together until light and fluffy.

Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions until the batter is very well blended. If the batter looks more “crumbly” than smooth, add just a drop of water at a time (ONLY if needed) until it smooths out.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by level spoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto baking sheets.

Bake 8 - 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let them stand 5 minutes before removing the cookies from the pans to cool on wire racks.

I love Chocolate Chip Cookies but rarely make them because of the amount of butter. But unfortunately I have never been able to find whole wheat pastry flour in Toronto :(. I've seen substitutions for regular pastry flour where they replace 2 tbsp of all purpose with corn starch and sift several times. Do you think this would work for your recipe?

Coming from you 'the best' is a big deal! So this sounds like an absolute gem of a recipe, its like the holy grail of low fat baking, the chocolate chip cookie, and if you have achieved it then massive thumbs up! :)

I used regular whole wheat all purpose and they stayed chewey. I also couldn't find wheat pastry flour. However, if anyone in high altitude (around 4,500 ft above sea level) tries them, let me know if you know which adjustments to make. Mine were chewey, but seemed almost undercooked in the middle too.

Thanks, I will be trying these tomorrow. I just made a batch of homemade applesauce so what a great way to use it!!! Of course I will be using regular size choc chips. I can't skimp on my favorite ingredient! :)

I just tried making these last night, but I had to make a couple of changes. After mixing all the wet ingredients, I realized I did not have applesauce after all. My husband happened to have some very thick homemade soymilk. The consistency was extremely similar to buttermilk, which I'm sure would work as well. I put 2T initially, but a little more at the end to make the batter look drippier. I also cut out the 1/2C of granulated sugar and used only 1/2C of very dark brown sugar. These turned out FABULOUS. I have tried SO many "healthier" cookies, and these were the first ones that actually tasted like a choco chip cookie... lightly crispy on top, gooey in the middle and good the next morning. I have used applesauce many times in cookies and I'm anxious to try it in this recipe; however, I find that in the past, they tend to make my cookies muffin-like. I'm not sure if buttermilk makes a difference. thank you so much for this amazing post!!! I have finally found my cookie recipe :) (unfortunately, I didn't stick to two. I ate 4 or 5, but hey, I'm pregnant... I get to do whatever I want! lol)

I made these for the first time today, took a risk and doubled the batch... they're fantastic! The edges are crunchy and the middles are close to but not undercooked. They're perfect! I'm not sure I can justify calling these low-fat, because I definitely ate more than my usual share :)

Asiya (and other Canadians!) - In Canada you can get whole wheat pastry flour at Bulk Barn. I believe they call it soft whole wheat flour and indicates pastries as one of the uses. I use this flour in all baking and it is light enough that I have even used it entirely in place of all purpose flour (in recipes that call for part all purpose and part whole wheat). Hope this helps!

totally trying this recipe today Gina! I agree...finding and making quality low cal, low fat baked goods can be challenging! They don't always have the texture you like or the taste...I am really picky about what kind of baked goods I post...I make lots and lots of things that just don't make the cut and get published to the blog!

It's so weird that people are getting different results. Follow the recipe exact, any changes will yield different results.

Elizabeth, I had that problem with the original recipe and used less baking soda. I'm guessing you might be using self rising flour, which is making them flat. By the way, I loved my flat ones too. I might even post those soon, they were highly addictive.

Ok, what is your preference? Do you put 2 cookie sheets on 2 separate racks in the oven at the same time, and then switch the cookie sheets to each other's rack halfway through the allotted baking time? Or, do you bake one sheet at a time? Also, regular bake or convection bake? Lastly, is the level spoonful usually a tablespoon size? Thanks!

Well - I followed the recipe, except I used regular pastry flour instead of wheat, and they still fell flat. Not really sure what to do about. The taste was ok. Think I was hoping for something a tad sweeter. Going to have to try the oatmeal ones instead!

I used whole wheat flour, with my fingers crossed, because I still haven't picked up pastry flour... it didn't turn out great. Looks like I'm going to need to get over it and get some pastry flour! I did finally get a hand blender as recommended, and it's fabulous! I look forward to making these (the right way) again! Thanks Gina!

Mine came out quite nicely. I just used regular "whole wheat flour". I was wondering if some people who had trouble didn't whip their wet ingredients enough? I whipped mine for quite a while and although it didn't ever get truly "fluffy", it did have a bit of structure.

Mine also came out cakey, but I used normal whole wheat and not whole wheat pastry flour. I wonder if that caused the problem or could it be down to me using half the quantity of white and brown splenda sugar blend instead of regular sugar? Gina, yours look amazing :).

Interestingly, for fear that my cookies would fall flat I put half the batch into a mini-muffin pan to prevent having paper thin ugly cookies. They came out SOOOO yummy! Maybe a little more "cakey" in texture, but DELICIOUS. I served both at the bbq and the mini-muffin ones were actually more popular than the regular cookies.

Thanks so much for the recipe. Everyone LOVED these and kept asking for the recipe. ;)

I can't guarantee they will work the same if you change anything. Using splenda could certainly effect the results. Too much baking soda would make them flat. This worked great for some of you and not for others, so I would imagine if you changed something, that would be why they didn't work.

Hmmm, and you weren't using self-rising flour, correct? First time I made them, I got flat cookies too, (delicious flat chocolate cookies that I couldn't stop eating) before adjusting the baking soda. Too much made them flat. Second time I made them with less baking soda, they were perfect. I'm going to make them again and see what I get.

I tried your chocolate chip cookies last weekend, and have now made them 3 times for my in-laws, co worker, and skinny husband! Thanks so much Gina! Since these were the first homemade cookies I've ever baked, my husband said, "I'd love you forever if you kept cookies in the house all the time." Cookies seem to be good for the marriage.

I made these cookies today and they truly are the best chocolate chip cookies ever! I put some fat free cool whip in between two of them and froze them to made mock ice cream sandwiches! Truly yummy! Thanks Gina!

Just made these very delicious cookies! I live in Colorado, so I'm baking in high altitude. My cookies came out flat too, and I ended up baking them for about 12 minutes each batch as they just weren't baking at all. They came out tasting great but a little crispy. Does anyone have any high altitude suggestions?

I made these a few weeks ago, and I came to your website tonight to look up the recipe to make again. They are delicious ... perfectly chewy and a little gooey in the middle but not too much. Thank you for sharing these fabulous recipes with us!!

kremsergirl- I found this online, hope it helps: Try increasing the oven temperature about 20 degrees and slightly decrease the baking time. This will keep your cookies from drying out. For cake or bar type cookies, reduce the sugar called for in the recipe by 3 Tbsp. per cup.

Man, I did terrible with these!! You said to whisk the sugars and wet ingredients, so I did so by hand. I think I should have used the mixer. They came out grainy and pretty flat. I want to try again. I also did not have whole wheat pastry flour; I may have to try that next time as well. I'll try again - I'm sure it was me!! :-)

OMG! These cookies are soooo good! I made them as "Hurricane Cookies" a week ago and I couldn't stop munching on them! Since I still had additional ingredients, I made more and brought them to a BBQ the following weekend. Everyone liked them so much they were asking me how I made them! (And to top it off, the hostess gave me back my container and kept the remaining cookies for herself - that is when you really know you did good!) Thank you!

Yummy, Just finished mine with a nice cold glass of skim milk. Couldn't have been happier with how they turned out, well, maybe if they had been half the calories so I could have eaten twice as many lol. I can see why some people are saying they were underdone but for me, this is exactly how I want my cookies, nice and gooey in the middle :)

As for my changes, just in case other are wondering if it would work, I used all white wheat flour and I can't believe it's not butter light. As far as I'm concerned there was no negative effect but it could be the reason they were a little on the flat side, but it also took them down to 4 grams of fat for two cookies which was nice (every gram counts right:)

We're trying these tonight!!! I'm so glad since my mother can eat them!!! She's been on this diet and cookies were a definate NO NO but now she can perhaps snack on these little suckers and not have to worry about throwing off her whole day!

Mine turned out ruined. The moist batter was very liquid when I first mixed it. I am thinking maybe the butter. I measured the 2 tbsp butter out when it was solid and then melted it. Would that be my problem?

Gina, just wanted to let you know that I LOVE this recipe. Lol! I've made these cookies twice & they turned out great both times. They were moist, chocolatey & delicious, mmm, mmm! I also found the recipe to be quick & straightforward, nothing too time consuming or confusing. These are definitely a sweet treat go-to for me, thanks for sharing!

Mine turned out flat, but tasted wonderful!! I used 1/2 Splenda and 1/2 brown sugar Splenda. I think I might try to go all the way Splenda next time and see what happens. I couldn't find pastry flour and had to eyeball my baking soda, so I'm sure that's why they were flat. Since eating a real cookie is out of the question, I though these were incredible. Hubby is doing WW, too, and he loved the cookies.

BTW, I've been using your recipes for the past week and my family has loved EVERYTHING I've tried (and I'm no cook). Thank you so much for posted these ideas. They have helped us so much and I've actually been enjoying cooking!!! :)

I made these today, using White Whole Wheat flour, instead of pastry flour. When I entered the recipe in to E-tools, they came to 2 points+ per cookie, and 4 points+ for 2 cookies!! They turned out wonderful = crispy on the edges, yet chewy in the middle. I had seen your inspiration recipe for these before, but since it still had 1/4 cup butter, I never made them. With your adaptation, they have the perfect calorie and fat content for those following WW and a healthy lifestyle. Thank you so much for your inspiration to me, to help me stay on track and focused. I am a 5 year WW Lifetime member, and it is so great to have new recipes each day that are healthy, cheap and easy.

I am guessing the silpat is key here. I made some on cookie sheets that were sprayed with cooking spray. Those flattened way out and are even lacy. I tried some without the cooking spray on a non-stick cookie sheet. Those didn't flatten out as much. Thanks for the recipe! Flat or not, my family is enjoying them. :)

I also got flat cookies but after reading a bunch of comments I see that I probably made a mistake by using self-rising flour, plus I had to use regular whole-wheat flour. They still came out delicious and I will call mine chocolate chip crisps! Also I will be investing in a silpats because I always have difficulty taking things off my "non-stick" pans. Love your recipes!!

I just made these and mine also came out super thin. They're still really good, but you can practically see through them! :) I followed the recipe exactly, but I've been having bad luck with cookies lately so who knows. I'll definitely try again!

I used 1/2 ww flour and 1/2 white pastry flour but once I mixed the dry with liquid I ended up having to add quite a bit of water(almost 1/4 cup) to get it to look like the same consistency as yours. They were very flat but delicious. Do you think the flour was the problem with the consistency?

I tried to make these today....I followed the recipe almost exactly (except I used whole wheat flour, not pastry flour- couldnt find it at my local grocery store?), and it barely made any better and was watery. I went ahead and added another 1/2 cup of ww flour and it only made about 10 cookies. I don't know what I did wrong!!!:(

mine were PERFECT! Thank you SO much. I've tried a gabillion low fat chocochip cookie recipes & so far this one wins!! I however used regular sized choc chips. =) and they baked perfectly fine on parchment paper. oh, and i used whole wheat flour as well...perfect!

I loved these cookies, but when entering my calories I noticed my came out different than yours. When I entered your exact recipe into calorie count it came out with 150 calories PER cookie not 170 for 2 cookies. Did I make a mistake or did you....?? Thanks, just want to make sure I get my calories correct.

I made these last night with my daughter! Mine turned out flat and delicious lol. They also turned out rather large and I only got about 18 cookies, so next time I will use smaller spoonful. They were still crispy outside chewy inside and very yummy. I added a small ripe banana and just a very very small handful of almonds (less than 1/3 cup) which increased the calories to about 13 per cookie, but after reading above comment I'm a little nervous these aren't as low cal as I thought. I'm going to add the calories today also.

Thought I would share that I added the calories up and my calculations were the same as the recipe! Except I had to add the banana and almonds, and the fact that I made mine a little bigger than I should which brought my cookies up to 105 per cookie or 210 for two. Considering the extra calories I added were "good" calories I don't feel bad indulging in an extra 40 cals for two. Plus I find they are very filling with the banana and nuts. Next time I probably won't add anything extra tho and will cut back to 1/4 cups chocolate chips for personal preference. Again thought they were amazing thank you!!

OMG!!! These cookies are so yummy! I cant believe it. I used whole wheat flour and they came out perfect. I'm so in love with this recipe, the only "bad" thing about these cookies...it's that I can't stop eating them LOL. I hope my kids hurry up to get home from school because they're almost gone LOL. Thank you Gina!!!

I have a trick I use with low fat cookies, which is to add a tablespoon of regular molasses. This helps the texture and adds a rich flavor. This recipe is amazing, they do not taste like low fat cookies at all! I made a gluten free version using a blend of brown and white rice flours, plus a little potato starch, also a tsp of xanthan gum. I also subbed coconut palm sugar for the sugars. Really delicious, thanks for the great recipe!

I stink at making choc chip cookies and have vowed to never make them again...mine always got flat and the chips stick out and everything! Then I saw this recipe and being a Lifetime Member of Weight Watchers I really wanted some choc chip cookies that I can actually eat! Well, lets just say I'm consistent! Flat as a crepe! UGH!!!

I made these for my husband and a couple of friends. They were soooo good! I didn't have whole wheat pastry flour so I just used regular whole wheat flour and they were fine. Definitely making them again!

I just made these and used regular whole wheat flour. I tried to dough and to be honest, I wasn't holding out a lot of hope for these cookies because the dough tasted very flour-y to me. Then when I took them out of the oven and let them cool for awhile, they tasted great for a low fat cookie! Maybe it's a good thing I didn't like the dough--I probably would've eaten most of it then :o) Oh, and for the applesauce I used the leftover applesauce I made from your website. Both are very tasty and I'll be making both again!

I just made these and they are so YUMMY!! Texture and taste hit the spot for a chocolate chip cookie!! I used all purpose flour and didn't bother with pastry flour. I also used a regular baking sheet sprayed with non stick spray. Thank you for the recipe!!

I added a hand full of blackberries to the batch the second time I made these. not only did I get more cookies out of it, everyone who tried them said that the ones with the crushed blackberries were amazing, moist, and sweet! I used all whole wheat flour and I put less sugar in the mix (regular and brown).

I made these tonight and they turned out great! I have a go to ccc recipe I normally use that calls for 2 sticks of butter. Tonight I told my husband that I was making cookies but healthier. He agreed to try them. He told me that they didn't taste any different and I should make them this way from now on!

I did use a stand mixer to make sure everything was well mixed so maybe that has something to do with the flat cookies some people got?

i made these for a house warming party and they were a hit! i didn't use pastry flour, just normal whole wheat flour, and when i used a tablespoon to put the cookies on the sheet they got really flat so i switched to just using a teaspoon. they were delish though!

I am on a low-fat diet because of gallbladder problems. Not very fun to be forced into it, so I am very happy to have found your site. I will be trying many other recipes soon. As for the cookies, i accidentally used whole wheat flour even though I had whole wheat pastry flour. I also didn't have regular sugar so used 3/4 cup dark brown instead. I thought they were great! They are flat but I like that because there is more of the crispy edges to enjoy! And I stumbled the recipe :)

I found it helpful to read everyone's comments. I made these for the first time today. They came out flat and mushy in the middle. I baked them for 9 min. I should have kept them in the extra minute. I would like to try it again, but I wonder how big a scoop I should be making. I used a regular tea spoon, not a measuring spoon and they were small and uneven. Any suggestions?

Are these at all cakey in texture? That is my biggest pet peeve with "healthy" cookies. I made a reduced-fat version tonight that called for one stick of butter and even then they were cakey...not sure why. So I'm kind of scared to try these with only 2tbsp of butter.

I did this recipe with 1/4 cup less regular sugar, and I also used golden brown sugar. I added 1/2 cup white chocolate chips and 3/4 cup Craisins. Delicious, and perfect for the holidays! I made these to give out to coworkers.

I've made these now for the 3rd time & I swear they get better every time!! These cookies are toooooooooo addictive! My 2.5 year old actually helped me with the last batch - she had so much fun mixing the ingredients and watching them bake. Thanks for another fantastic recipe! :)

I just had a chance to try these and I used the exact ingredients/amounts as posted. However, mine turned out super flat too. But - still really delish! And I gotta be honest, because they're flat and therefore pretty big, I think I might like them that way better. Makes me feel like I get to eat more of a cookie. :-) Thank you!

Gina, I wanted to tell you how wonderful these were, especially 5 minutes out of the oven! It has renewed my faith that I can eat healthier now, knowing I don't have to give up on cookies entirely! ;) by threat, mine were not cakey OR flat! Perfect as far as that goes...I did have one problem with these, though, and I was hoping you could help me figure it out. They were soft but chewy 5 minutes out of the oven, but then after a little while I decided to put them in my airtight plastic cookie jar. They were still warm, so though I put all of them in there together, I did not put the lid on until they were completely cool. Anyway when I ate one the next day, they were very tough...kind of like biting into a tough steak only it was a cookie....does that make sense? I had to microwave all of them for 45 seconds to get a non-tough texture from them. They werent soft and chewy 5minutes out of the oven! They were never dry or crunchy or else I would have thought I overcooked them...what happened?

I made these again this weekend with a different low fat butter and YES this time they were perfect! Idk how that helped maybe I stored them too early and thats how they got spongey? Well anyway these are amazing and not cakey at all. Thanks again!

It is Jan. 1, 2012 - Hubby and I decided we would start eating right, exercising......WELL, it is a cold, dark day - the kind of day you just HAVE to bake cookies. So I looked on Skinnytaste.com for a good chocolate chip cookie recipe. I found this one and decided to try it. GLAD I DID! It is wonderful!! My dough was nice and soft (didn't have to add water), if fact, I thought I might have to add a little flour so they wouldn't spread out too think - but they baked up beautifully - not too thin. I used dark brown sugar and they had a wonderful brown sugar flavor. I will make these again for sure! But yes - willpower is needed to stick to 2. But what a treat!!

Wow Yummy and they really kill your sweet tooth! I used white chips and reg white flour. I had no apple sauce so I used 2 tbs bannana. 2 of them hits the spot. My husband loved them! They were a little sweet for me but white choc is always too sweet for me. I prefer choc while my husband prefer white choc lol.

When I made them the first time with all white whole wheat flour they were awesome. But when I decided to try the recipe exactly as written, they spread so flat the cookies became one giant cookie cake that was so tough and chewy, it wasn't very edible. For those of you that have had the pancake problem, maybe try white ww flour...worked for me!

Jessi..keep these tips in mind with high altitude baking:High Altitude Baking Tips• Reduce baking powder by 1/8 – 1/4 per teaspoon• Reduce sugar by 0 – 2 TB per cup• Increase liquid by 2 – 4 TB per cup to counterbalance rapidevaporation of liquids• Use cold water and large cold eggs to give cake extrastrength• Don’t over beat eggs to prevent too much air being added• Generously grease and flour cake pans to prevent cakesfrom sticking - with the exception of angel food and spongecakes which should always be baked in ungreased pans• Fill pans 1/3 to no more than 1/2 full to avoid batter overflowcaused by rapid cake expansion• Increase oven temperature by 25° to help “set” the batterbefore it over expands• Reduce baking time about 20% to prevent over-baking at thehigher temperature• For yeast cakes watch dough carefully since they rise morequickly judge rise time by change in dough’s bulk, not byamount of time it takes

I made these last night for the second time. But I added my own spin to them this time. I didn't have any regular butter so I used the Brummel & Brown spread made with yogurt. I used the Splenda/sugar blend in place of the white sugar; however, I only used a heaping 1/4 cup. But the best part of this is the secret ingredient I've had in my cabinet since I purchased it last year at the farmer's market. I used lavender salt in the place of the salt, and then I sprinkled a little on top after the cookies got out of the oven.

They were amazing.

I personally like the contrast of salty and sweet. There's a great bakery here in Santa Monica that serves these huge chocolate chip cookies with sea salt on top. These were just as good and so much healthier. Even if you can't get your hands on lavender salt. Try using coarse sea salt on half the batch and see how you like them.

I just made these, twice, and both times they were more like cake cookies. My batter does not get runny at all. What am I doing wrong? The only thing I can think of is that I'm using liquid egg whites in the carton. Thanks.

I can't believe I waited so long to try these! They came out great. I didn't have pastry flour, whole wheat or otherwise, so I used 3/4C plus 2tb of all purpose, plus 2tb corn starch and sifted it really well. They came out fantastic...not quite as healthy...but so good...the right amount of crispines, chewy middles, and they rose just like a cookie should! Thanks!!!

Tried these. They turned out flat and stuck to the silicon sheet. I think I may have undercooked them as they were very sticky. I'd like to try it again. They are still very good... but not very pretty. :)

These were delicious! They came out a little flat, but I know my problem. I did't whisk the wet ingredients until fluffy. Rookie mistake. I'll know better next time. I'll also add a little more salt next time. I like my cookies a little saltier.

Made these last night. They were yummy, but didn't spread at all in the oven and turned out spongey. I think my batter was a little too thick. It was smooth so I didn't add any water, but after looking at your pictures I can see your batter was thinner so I will add a little water at the end and see if that helps. :)

Tried these with 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup white flour- very YUMMY but odd texture, more like cake. I will be on the look out for pastry flour to try them again. If you have a craving for cookie it will still do the trick!

So...I love this recipe and adapted it the following:I forgot the egg white once and didn't miss it. I just add a more applesauce. Still yummy.I do half regular whole wheat and half unbleached flour. I use margarine or earth balance as I gave up dairy. There is also a sweet spot with baking these...and its still a bit trial and error for me esp. with my stone cookie sheets. One batch doesn't last long. Thx Gina

Just made these and they will become a staple in our house. My 3 year old daughter loves baking with Mommy in the kitchen, but since beginning our new "healthy" lifestyle we haven't been baking much. She is so excited that we can bake again! Thank you so much, Gina!

I made these this afternoon and they are divine! I only have one Silat, so my other sheet had parchment and they both came out great. I actually found the parchment ones to be a bit more crispy and the Silat ones to stick a bit. Also, I doubled the recipe since we are a large family and had to add quite a bit of water to get mine smooth like yours, and I think this may be why mine came out very flat, but they were still delicious, very sweet, everyone loved them!

Just made these, they came out like little Chocolate Chip Pancakes. The only thing I did differently was use 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour. I also just used a cookie sheet lined with foil, could that have changed it ? Either way they were still yummy. :)

This may be the most DANGEROUS recipe I've ever found.... I added some oatmeal and coconut flakes (I add them to every chocolate chip recipe) and I literally groaned in the middle of my kitchen when I tasted them warm out of the oven!

So I have just completed my third batch of these in 4 weeks. My husband (not on WW) keeps devouring the whole batch on me. I will have my 2, and then I wake up in the morning and half the batch is gone because he takes them to work. Thank you so much for giving us healthy alternatives to the sweets we love!!

Just made these cookies, they are incredible! Great recipe, I baked mine for 9 minutes and they are perfectly chewy! I lined with parchment paper and I didnt even need a flipper to take off sheets. I also just used all whole wheat flour (not pastry) and I think they are fabulous! I will definitely double or triple batch next time and freeze. I might cut down on the choc chips next time because they are so great on their own you dont need a whole lot of chips! I may even next time cut down even more on the sugar too just to make a little healthier! Great job. If you have a healthy cinnamon bread I would love to try it because I havent found one I like yet! Thanks!